Thursday, April 24, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Once Upon a Time in a Western

The western, as a genre, seems to have fallen out of vogue. Not even high-powered combination of Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski could make the recent Lone Ranger film a sure thing. (That having been said, if you want an awesome Johnny Depp western, may I recommend Rango.)

But the American west will always have a nostalgic appeal for those who grew up on John Wayne, Louis L'Amour and Bonanza. That's why we're dedicating this week's Throwback Thursday to the western.

With all due respect to the aforementioned L'Amour, the first name in westerns will always be John Wayne. Yes, his range extended beyond a 10-gallon hat and a stoic stare. (Personally, I loved his turn in I Love Lucy.) But if you need a place to start, check out his Oscar-winning performance in True Grit or his classic turn in Hondo. Try his Ultimate Collection if you want to get a taste of the Duke's lesser known films. You can also stream several of Wayne's movies for free onto your computers, phones and tablets with you library via Hoopla. (How to use Hoopla, in case you forgot.)

The westerns were such a revolutionary genre of film and television, they created their own style of music to accompany them—wavering harmonicas, barely tuned pianos and rustling spurs for percussion. The most famous composer for westerns was Ennio Morricone, but he's just the tip of the iceberg. And if you love the music as much as you love the movies, you can borrow both at the library.

About Me

Mentor Public Library isn't just a place to borrow books, movies and music -- though it's that too. It's a place to stimulate the imagination, satisfy curiosity and connect to the outside world. Most of all, it's a place where you can keep learning all of your life.